Rivers United technical manager Finidi George has expressed satisfaction with his side’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Kun Khalifat in their NPFL Matchday 5 encounter, while explaining his decision to substitute Stephen Manyo and Abdurrasheed Dabai.
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Sports247 reports that the Pride of Rivers produced a commanding display, scoring five unanswered goals to secure a convincing victory and boost their campaign.
Salman Abubakar opened the scoring in the 27th minute with a superb strike from outside the box before Chijioke Mbaoma doubled the advantage four minutes after the restart.
Abubakar then completed his brace in the 58th minute, further extending Rivers United’s dominance.
Wasiu Falolu added a fourth in the 62nd minute, while Ekene Awazie completed the rout six minutes from full time to seal a comprehensive 5-0 victory.
Speaking after the match, Finidi said the result was particularly pleasing because of the number of goals scored.
«“We are quite happy with the result, especially with the goals.”»
The former Super Eagles coach admitted that the match became easier for Rivers United than initially anticipated after the team established a comfortable lead.
“Thinking it will be difficult, at a point I need to sit down. It was a bit easy for us getting those goals,” Finidi explained.
However, the Rivers United technical manager was already looking beyond the convincing victory, with another demanding fixture awaiting the team in Kano.
“I am thinking about the next match as we are travelling to Kano,” he added.
Finidi also addressed the substitutions of Stephen Manyo and Abdurrasheed Dabai, explaining that the decision was influenced by the congested schedule facing the team.
“We are having a couple of games coming up — Monday, Thursday and upper week. It is going to be a tasky week,” he said.
According to Finidi, managing the workload of his players is important given the hectic sequence of fixtures.
“It is not bad to rest him. It is going to be hectic for the players,” he stated.
The emphatic victory gives Rivers United considerable momentum as they prepare for their next assignment, with Finidi already focused on ensuring his players remain fresh for the demanding run of fixtures ahead.
